Lee Bowyer

Infobox Football biography
playername = Lee Bowyer


fullname = Lee David Bowyer
height = height|meter=1.75
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1977|1|3|df=y
cityofbirth = Canning Town, London
countryofbirth = England
currentclub = West Ham United
clubnumber = 29
position = Midfielder
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 1993–1996
1996–2003
2003
2003–2006
2006–
clubs = Charlton Athletic
Leeds United
West Ham United
Newcastle United
West Ham United
caps(goals) = 046 0(8)
203 (38)
010 0(0)
079 0(6)
035 0(4)
nationalyears = 1996–1998
2002
nationalteam = England U21
England
nationalcaps(goals) = 013 0(0)
001 0(0)
pcupdate = 03:52, 5 March 2008 (UTC)
ntupdate = 03:52, 5 March 2008 (UTC)

Lee David Bowyer (born 3 January 1977 in Canning Town, London) is an English professional footballer who currently plays for FA Premier League side West Ham United. He has been capped once by England.

Club career

Charlton Athletic

Bowyer joined Charlton Athletic as a trainee in April 1994. [http://www.soccerbase.com/players_details.sd?playerid=870 Soccerbase: Lee Bowyer] , Racing Post. Retrieved 19 June 2007.] He first drew attention in 1994, when he and a teammate failed a test for cannabis use. [cite news
date=2006-12-13
url=http://sport.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,1970796,00.html
title= Caborn attacked on plan to ease dope rules
publisher=The Guardian
accessdate=2006-12-30] Both received lengthy bans but Bowyer went on to became a first-team regular, making 58 appearances for Charlton and scoring 14 goals.

Leeds United

In 1996, he was signed by Leeds United manager Howard Wilkinson for £2.8 million, which was a record for a British teenager. Shortly after this, he was accused of an alleged racist incident in a McDonald's in London. [cite news
date=2003-01-13|url=http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/columnists/parsons/2003/01/13/bowyer-s-a-soccer-player--not-a-saint-89520-12526541/|title= Bowyer's a soccer player, not a saint|publisher=The Daily Mirror|accessdate=2006-12-30] Initially, Bowyer was kept out of the Leeds first team by Alf Inge Haaland and David Hopkin; he eventually replaced Hopkin in the 1998-99 season, and from then on was a first-team regular. He was a key player in David O'Leary's Leeds side that qualified for the Champions League in 1999–00, and which reached the semi finals of the UEFA Cup in 1999-00 and the Champions League in 2000-01. He was voted the Leeds player of the year by supporters in 1998–99 and 2000–01.

Following an incident in Leeds in January 2000, in which an Asian student suffered severe injuries [ [http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/sport/article-7104528-details/The+First+XI+of+Shame+United/article.do The First XI of Shame United| Sport | This is London ] ] , Bowyer and teammate Jonathan Woodgate were charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent and affray. An initial trial collapsed in April 2001 after an article in a Sunday newspaper, [cite news
date=2001-04-10|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1269824.stm|title= Footballers face retrial|publisher=BBC News| accessdate=2006-12-29] and following a second trial, which ended in December 2001, Bowyer was cleared of both charges while Woodgate was convicted of affray and sentenced to community service. [cite news
date=2001-12-14|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1701493.stm|title= Leeds footballer walks free|publisher=BBC News| accessdate=2006-12-19] Bowyer played some of the finest football of his career during this period and would often drive straight from court to play for Leeds. After being cleared, Leeds fined Bowyer four weeks' wages for a breach of the club's code of conduct. Despite having had the backing of the club during the trial and the club paying his extensive legal fees, Bowyer took exception to the fine and was placed on the transfer list. [cite news
date=2001-12-18| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/leeds_united/1718162.stm|title= Leeds put Bowyer on transfer list|publisher=BBC News| accessdate=2007-06-19] However, the dispute was later settled and Bowyer removed from the transfer list. [cite news |date=2001-12-21| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/1722423.stm|title= Bowyer and Woodgate back for Leeds |publisher=BBC News| accessdate=2007-06-23] In May 2002, he was again placed on the transfer list after turning down a five-year contract. [cite news |date=2002-05-11| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/leeds_united/2002741.stm |title=Bowyer transfer-listed |publisher=BBC News| accessdate=2007-06-23] In January 2003, Bowyer signed for West Ham United.cite news |date=2003-02-11| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/west_ham_utd/2631615.stm |title=Bowyer signs for Hammers |publisher=BBC News| accessdate=2007-01-19] Bowyer made 257 appearances for Leeds in all competitions, scoring 62 goals.

West Ham United

Bowyer signed for West Ham United on an initial six-month contract for a nominal transfer fee, which meant that should West Ham be relegated at the end of the 2002/03 season, the club would not be burdened with large Premiership salary. [cite news |date=2003-01-07| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/2634745.stm |title=Bowyer transfer-listed |publisher=BBC News| accessdate=2007-01-23] Claims that Bowyer would have received a £1 million bonus had West Ham stayed up were denied by the club's then-manager, Glenn Roeder. [cite news |date=2003-01-10| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/west_ham_utd/2644363.stm |title=Roeder denies Bowyer bonus |publisher=BBC News| accessdate=2007-06-23] In the event, Bowyer was hampered by ankle injuries and made only eleven appearances for West Ham.cite news |date=2003-05-16| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/west_ham_utd/3034593.stm|title=Hammers release Bowyer |publisher=BBC News| accessdate=2007-06-23] West Ham were relegated and Bowyer was not offered another contract.

Newcastle United

After West Ham were relegated at the end of the 2002/03 season, Bowyer joined Newcastle United on a free transfer in July 2003. [cite news |date=2003-07-01| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/n/newcastle_united/3031656.stm |title=Bowyer makes Magpies move |publisher=BBC News| accessdate=2007-06-19]

In April 2005, Bowyer was in the media spotlight again after an on-pitch brawl with teammate Kieron Dyer in Newcastle United's Premiership match with Aston Villa. This resulted in a red card, plus a further three game ban; Dyer received the same punishment. Bowyer was fined six weeks' wages by the club.cite news|date=2006-07-05 |url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/SPORT/football/07/05/england.bowyer/index.html|title= Court fine Bowyer over Dyer fight|publisher=CNN|accessdate=2006-12-30] Dyer was not fined as Bowyer was perceived to have thrown the first punch. On 2005-06-08, Bowyer was charged in connection with the brawl by Northumbria Police with public order offences, under section four of the Public Order Act. In July 2006 he was fined £600 and ordered to pay £1000 in costs after admitting to using threatening behaviour towards Dyer. Bowyer made 98 appearance for Newcastle in all competitions, scoring eleven goals.

West Ham United

Bowyer rejoined West Ham United, the club he supported as a boy, in June 2006 for an undisclosed fee. [cite news |date=2006-06-18| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/west_ham_utd/5062362.stm |title=West Ham sign midfielder Bowyer |publisher=BBC News| accessdate=2007-06-19] He made 22 appearances in the 2006/07 season, which was disrupted by a dislocated shoulder suffered in West Ham United's 6–0 loss to Reading in January 2007. [cite news |date=2006-01-02| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/west_ham_utd/6224347.stm |title=Bowyer injury blow for West Ham |publisher=BBC News| accessdate=2007-07-01] However, Bowyer made a quick and sooner-than-expected recovery and played in several of West Ham's crucial games towards the end of the season.

He regained a regular place in the Hammers first team at the beginning of the 2007–08 season, scoring his first goals for West Ham against Wigan and Middlesbrough and then two more in the 0–5 victory over Derby County.

International career

During his early career at Leeds, Bowyer was a regular in the England U21 team, making 13 appearances for the national side. [cite news |date=| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/shared/bsp/hi/football/statistics/players/b/bowyer_17305.stm |title=Squad Profiles: Lee Bowyer|publisher=BBC Sport| accessdate=2007-06-23] Bowyer's form during the 2000–01 season led to calls for inclusion in the England squad; however, the FA ruled that he could not be selected until the court case in relation to an assault on an Asian student was completed. [cite news |date=2000-11-02| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2002/1004205.stm |title=Leeds pair in England wilderness|publisher=BBC Sport| accessdate=2007-06-19] The FA eventually cleared Bowyer for selection following the conclusion of the court case and England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson called him into the squad for an international friendly against Portugal in September 2002. [cite news |date=2002-09-02| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/2231000.stm |title=Leeds duo in England squad|publisher=BBC Sport| accessdate=2007-06-19] Bowyer made his England debut in the game, setting up a goal for Leeds team-mate Alan Smith. [cite news |date=2002-09-07 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/england/2242638.stm |title=Portugal hold England |publisher=BBC Sport| accessdate=2007-06-19] It was his only appearance for England.

ee also

*List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences

References

External links

*soccerbase|id=870|name=Lee Bowyer